The One Trick That Will Transform Your Small Space

No big renovation needed.

Do something that doesn't involve buying new furniture or doing a huge overhaul: Paint your walls a rich, saturated color.

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Thomas Loof

Green

The kitchen in a Manhattan apartment is small, but owner Tom Mendenhall has no trouble making braised short ribs for eight in it. Cabinets are lacquered in Bamboo Leaf by Fine Paints of Europe, as was the roller shade by Manhattan Shade & Glass, which erases an exhaust unit. Even the Sub-Zero refrigerator is painted green. "The kitchen existed. It was a good-quality laminate and I thought, Why replace this with a paneled kitchen?" designer Miles Redd says. "I knew it would paint beautifully — and that a strong brush of color would make it exciting."

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Simon Watson

Mustard Green

In designers Bill Brockschmidt and Richard Dragisic's one-room, 640-square-foot Manhattan apartment, the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Mustard Olive. "It seemed like a good color for a tall room," Brockschmidt says. "The palette is inspired by the Dutch Salon in the Chateau de Groussay."

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Francesco Lagnese

Hot Pink

The entry of a late-19th-century house in Brooklyn decorated by Jonathan Berger is a showstopper, with walls in Benjamin Moore's Razzle Dazzle. The table and side chair — covered in vintage needlepoint — are Louis XV, and the mirror is 18th-century Italian.

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Reed Davis

Deep Teal

Big color works in a small space. In designer Moises Esquenazi's small Los Angeles bungalow, Benjamin Moore's Newburg Green on the guest room walls plays off fabrics in hot tropical colors. "I don't mind a bedroom that feels small, especially since its primary use is for sleeping," he says. "Why should it not be dark, moody or sensual?"

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Brian Doben

Red

Lacquered walls reflect light and create a sense of depth, making the dining area feel larger in a small Manhattan apartment. "What I love about shiny surfaces — and that includes mirror — is that they reflect, which gives you depth and makes a room feel larger," designer Philip Gorrivan says. "This apartment is not big, so we decided to treat it like a boîte à bijoux — a jewelry box."

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Laura Resen

Apple Green

Designer Leslie Klotz created big, bold stripes in a Hamptons cottage bathroom with Apple Green and Decorator's White, both by Benjamin Moore. "Since I love bright colors and wacky patterns, my compromise in small spaces is a linear pattern in vivid colors," Klotz says. "I have striped so many rooms that I think my pals wonder if I spent time in prison and can't get the motif out of my brain."

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Ngoc Minh Ngo

Purple

In David Kaihoi's one-bedroom apartment in New York City's East Village, the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Purple Haze. "There's a density of color here that makes it feel enveloping and warm instead of pinched and anemic," he says. "It sort of wraps around you. We found out that a small white box tends to look more cluttered when you have things. I mean, we'd put one thing on the coffee table, throw a shirt on the sofa, and it looked messy." The velvet-covered banquette serves as plush seating at the dining table, draped in purple burlap from Elegant Fabrics. The Kaihois' three-year-old daughter sits in the red Tripp Trapp high chair by Stokke.

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